Fresh Shaved Kisses
by biotictrash
Summary: Kaidan being Kaidan shaves with a manual razor, and Shepard, simply does not have the time for that, so she takes matters into her own hands. A one shot set in the Two and a Half Steps universe.


**A/N: A little Two and a Half Steps-verse fluff for you guys :)**

* * *

Shepard couldn't believe that after days of forgetting to shave, where his scruff had grown in thick, even bordering on beard territory, Kaidan chose to shave by hand, with a razor.

"This is going to take forever," she said.

"Hey, you don't get baby smooth skin by using an electric razor!" he said, pumping out shaving cream into the palm of his hand. Shepard sat on the edge of the bathtub and made herself as comfortable as possible. She knew this was going to be a long haul, and she'd make note to text James and let him know he could start drinking at the bar since they'd be a while.

She watched as Kaidan smoothed the cream over his cheeks, covering the lower half of his face. She resisted the urge to laugh. It wasn't even funny, not really, but she liked watching his concentration as he drew the tiny manual razor to his skin.

"You know, if I had a way to shave my legs and stuff without a razor, I'd take it. You're just playing with fire here, Kay."

"You know there's creams and lotions for that," he said, glancing over at her.

"They burn like hell."

"And I don't like electric razors," he said.

"Fair enough."

Kaidan dragged the razor down his cheek, and around the curve of his jaw to his neck. Shepard couldn't deny that this was just a _little_ bit hot. He was so intently focused and it was a quiet moment for her to study him in some kind of ritual. She liked that she could see him doing his hair in the morning from his bed as well. Most mornings she spent there, she'd curl up in sheets that still smelled like him (with Oleg beside her of course) and watch as he went through his morning routine after showering. It was calming in a way, like her own private and simple "good morning". Though, she was shaken out of this peaceful trance instantly.

"Ow!"

"You cut yourself?"

He nodded and stuck his thumb against the nick on his skin. Shepard stood up and pulled his hand away. She reached into her back pocket, pulled out some lip balm, and rubbed a bit of it on her finger. He curiously watched as she dabbed it on top of the cut.

"Lip balm works, okay?"

"Huh, you must be some expert."

She nodded. "I try. Now come here, let's get this all done. And I promise I won't cut you."

He furrowed his brows. "Shepard, what?"

"Just let me shave you. I can do it faster and gentler. Besides, I'm impatient and it gives me something to do. And... well, I don't get enough chances to pamper you."

He gave a cautious half smile. "When you put it like that..."

Shepard pushed him out of the way and sat on the sink, spreading her legs so he could stand between and she could drop shaving cream somewhere. Kaidan held his hands on either side of her hips and leaned in close. His shaving cream smelled fresh and clean, and if he wasn't covered in foam, she'd be stealing kisses left and right.

"Don't gash my face open?"

She smiled. "I won't. Now stay still."

She drew the razor up to the next unshaved part of his cheek, and he shut his eyes, nervous for her to move forward. She gently pressed the razor to his skin and drew it down his face, making sure she got every bit of scruff coating his cheeks. He hummed in appreciation as she eased his head back and coaxed the razor down his neck until the cream ran out.

"See? I'm not so bad at this."

"Beginner's luck," he muttered.

"Admit it, you're relaxed."

She went in again, clearing more off his face. She brushed her spare fingers against the fresh skin. It was clean and chilly, but shaving took years off his face. It was also significantly nicer to kiss. Right now, with his eyes closed, and trust completely in her, he looked so beautiful. She was doing more admiring and staring than she was shaving, but she couldn't help herself. There was so much gentleness in him, and she loved all of it.

She moved to the other side of his cheeks, weaving her fingers through his curls to tilt his head accordingly. He let out a soft and relieved breath as she shed the scruff from his cheeks, and began to dab at his skin with a damp wash cloth.

"Alright, the hard part," he said.

She smiled. "I should just leave you with a creepy mustache."

He smirked back. "I really don't think it's my look."

"Did you ever try it? Everyone has a brief experimental mustache phase."

He laughed. "No, let's save that for when I turn thirty."

She grimaced. "Well, that's in like three months, so…"

"Okay, forty then."

"Yeah," she said. "Maybe by then you'll have a nice bald spot and beer gut to go with it."

He opened his eyes and glanced up at her, almost pouting. "But you'd love me anyways, right?"

She bit down on her lip. "No mustache. The rest… I'm sure I'll get used to in time."

In fact, she _knew_ she would. It felt like an invitation to her. Was he saying he _wanted_ her there all those years in the future? Did he also see a future where they were married, maybe settled down with a few kids? She'd thought about it herself, more and more lately. She imagined them doing real big adult things, like buying a house together, adopting pets, growing old together. She even imagined them having children, despite her doubts she'd make even a passable mother. She liked the idea because in her mind, they were always Kaidan's kids, and she had no doubts he'd be the perfect father.

"You'll always be beautiful to me," he said.

"So…" she teased, "is this my permission to grow a mustache?"

He squeezed her waist and shook her head. "No, I don't think it would be a good look for you either."

"Okay, you're half shaved, let me fix that," she said.

Kaidan went back to his neutral position and let her continue. She carefully teased the razor against his upper lip, dabbing to make sure there were no cuts or missed spots. So far, she was doing damn excellent. She tackled his chin and moved down his neck to make sure all of it was gone. Kaidan went to open his eyes to check.

"No, no, give me one more minute," she ordered.

She wiped away the excess shaving cream and checked for any missed hairs, and there were only a few spots left imperfect, though she quickly fixed them. She reached to the counter and poured a dab of his after shave balm into her hand. Though, she would probably leave out the part where she'd been using his for makeup primer.

The gel tingled on her fingertips, and she carefully rubbed it into his freshly shaven skin. It smelled crisp and masculine, and now that the hard part was over, she _could_ go forth with kissing him. He hummed in appreciation as her fingers kneaded the aftershave against his skin. She finally cupped his face, cool and soft, and pressed a kiss to his lips. Instead of laughing or telling her she was a dork, he kissed her back, not too hard.

He slowly pulled away and opened his eyes. Shepard slid out of the way so he could get a decent look in the mirror. He smoothed his fingers over his face, and nodded in approval.

"Nice job, sweet heart. I'm glad you didn't maim me. Never know, this could be a great way to get even for the times I piss you off."

"Well," she shrugged, "you haven't lately."

"What about when I kept changing the channel to hockey games in the middle of your Chopped marathon?"

She gasped. "Ohh… yeah, I should have gotten some payback for that."

"Too late now."

She wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head against the center of his back. He reached behind him and held onto her.

"Thanks, baby girl."

"Any time," she replied. "Now, are we ready to go?"

He shook his head. Shepard pouted and crossed her arms, but her anger only lasted a moment, as he turned around and pulled her into a soft, loving, freshly shaved kiss. The kiss turned into several, many gentle and small little kisses, and finally a soft pull away.

"I love you," he whispered.

She nodded back. "I love you too."

" _Now,_ " he said, "I'm ready."


End file.
